Last weekend, the second round of the Croatian Championship took place, with Karlovac hosting the two front-runners for the title, Zagreb and Olimpija. The resulting split did justice to the drama of the weekend, with a wild Saturday game leading to another offensive outburst from Karlovac‘s José Herrera, who became the second Olimpian in two Sundays to send three balls out of the park. Elshewere, Nada SSM Split began its season with an equally exciting set with Medvednica.
Split at Medvednica
Nada SSM made its 2021 debut as a guest of Zagreb’s Medvednica. In Saturday’s game, Medvednica held a slim 4-2 lead after six, but Split scored three runs in the next two frames and another two in the ninth, holding off a Medvednica rally for the 10-7 win. Matej Kamenski did his part for the hosts in a 4-for-4, two-RBI effort.
A thriller took place in the second game on Sunday. The rollercoaster game saw the two sides swap points in the first six games frames before Medvednica finally went ahead with a run in the seventh. Nada quickly erased the 9-8 lead on a marker by Viktor Belin, setting up a thrilling final frame. In the ninth inning, Split scored two in the top half, but Medvednica filled the bases with three consecutive hits to set up Antun Andrejević. Andrejević launched a four-bagger last weekend and did not disappoint, stroking a double that just allowed all three runners to score and deliver a 12-11 victory to Medvednica.
Zagreb at Karlovac
In Karlovac, a similarly exciting game developed on Saturday. Through six, the scoreboard had a ‘4’ posted for Zagreb and Olimpija when the hosts suddenly opened a four-run lead. In the seventh, Zagreb reduced the difference to 8-5 before exploding for six runs in the subsequent frame. Although Olimpija plated a run in the ninth, the visitors held on for the 11-9 win.
José Herrera ensured that Sunday’s result was clearer as Karlovac continued its assault on opponents’ outfield fences. For the second consecutive Sunday, an Olimpija player blasted three home runs, with the red-hot Herrera accomplishing the feat this week. Herrera drove in six, with the unusual result of a grand slam and two solo shots. The Venezuelan has five home runs in his last five non-tournament games.
Standings
Team W-L Pct. GB Home Road RF RA Streak
Olimpija Karlovac 3-1 .750 – 1-1 2-0 54 24 W1
Zagreb 3-1 .750 – 0-0 3-1 49 38 L1
Nada SSM Split 1-1 .500 1 0-0 1-1 21 19 L1
Medvednica 1-3 .000 2 1-3 0-0 35 57 W1
Vindija Varaždin 0-2 .000 2 0-2 0-0 11 32 L2
Week 2 Results
April 17 Karlovac 9 – Zagreb 11
April 17 Medvednica 7– Split 10
April 18 Karlovac 13 – Zagreb 2 (7)
April 18 Medvednica 12 – Split 11
Week 3 Schedule
May 8 Vindija – Zagreb
May 8 Karlovac – Split
May 9 Vindija – Zagreb
May 9 Karlovac – Split